Process and apparatus for removing tar and other condensables from gas.



W. C. DAYTON.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TAR AND OTHER CONDENSABLES FROM GAS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-5.19M

1 00,442. Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

zzmzier 62 7 v UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE. ii

WALTER CLINT: DAYTON, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK," ASSIGNORTO G oRGEj sMI -TH,

I I TRUSTEE, 0F UEEAL NEW YORK.

PROCESS AND A PPAR ATUS,EoanEMovmG TAR am OTHER cOND' ENSA B LE'S EEROM GAS. u

olv, a citizen of the United States, residmg at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and Statef o f New York, have"invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes and Apparatus for Removing Tar and other 'Condensables from Gas, of which the following" a specification. M'y invention'fre'lates to a process and 'apparam ter rcmojii'ng'tar and other condensablesfrom gas.

I shall hereinafter employ the term tar,

I benign the specifications and in the claims,

as indicating all forms of condensa'bles w it is ,desirable to remove by my processand ap'paratus. I

flri the manufacture of gas from "liquid hydrocarbons it has been especially difficult to jfreeJ'the gas"i'i'om tar so that the gas 'dia ih' i 1 ,the ljmanufact ii'e of gas from other forms of hydrocarbon.

I have discovered that, whena tar-laden gas] is compressed slightly" and 'then permitted to expand, a certain amount of tar deposited adjacent to the point of expansion. I From. this discovery and by 'further'experiment and operation, I have f oui i'd that, if such gas is expanded, then compressed, andfi nally permitted to excape thr'oug'ha restricted opening into a chamber conditions such as I shall hereafter point out, practically all-of the tar will be precip- 1 itated in such chamber and t gas left stantially pure.

The concrete side of my discovery will'be the better understood from a description of my novel apparatus for carrying out my process and the method of its operation; but

it isto be understood that my process is not limited to any specific form of apparatus.

Referring to the single I figure of the drawing herewith, which is a vertical s'ection, 1 is a pump cylinderwithin which a piston reciprocates. The pump may be driven from any desired source of power, as by a driven shaft 3 rotating a crank-disk 4 pivoted to the connecting-rod 5.

Surrounding the cylinder 1 is an annular chamber 6 into which a gas main 7 leads the supply of tar-laden gas. An annular I Specification of Letters Patent.

ed"-g"enerally, and the same conrvailed, relat vely speaking, in

ber .15.

j 'ratenteajocaa, 1916.

Application filed Februaryfi, 1914 Serial No. 816,763.

port 8 leads from the chamber 6 into the cylinder '1, which port is uncovered. by the piston stroke. This annular port-may be bridged .to permit free passage of piston-rings oras it reachesth-e limit of its outvalve 9 recip'rocates in a central boringl2 an a-djustable sleeve "13 which is threaded nto the'pa'smg ll of the chamber 15. 1A

compress on; spring -16- is interposed between the vali'e'9 and an annular seat'on I 'the 'Sle 13 and this sp'ringitends to hold the valve 9 seated against gas pressure with in the cylinder; and as the sleeve 13 is adjustable, the compression spring 16 may be regulated with the result that the degreeof gas pressurein the cylinder which will unseat the valve may be accurately determined. To prevent vacuum or pressure in the borin?! 12 the stem 11 has a central boring 22 which leads out to' the gas area of the cham- A. pipe 17 leads from the chamber 15 to any desired pointof storage or use of the clean gas.

Below and opeping into thechamber 15 is an annular chaniber 18, about the cylinder 1, which is separated-from the chamber 6 by-the wall or partition 19. Leading from the chamber. 18 close to'i ts floor is a pipe 20 which leads into a. tar container 21,'or which may be sealed against gas-flow in any Wellknown manner.

The operationis as follows: A supply of tar-laden gas being conveyed into the cham- I berti from the pipe 7 and the pump started, when the piston 2' makeslits outstroke producing the usualpartial vacuum in the cyl- 'i nd'er 1 and uncovering the annular port 8,

gas is drawn into the cylinder from the chamber 6 with accompanying expansion into the partial vacuum. When the piston makes the in-stroke it compresses the gas contained within the cylinder with the re sult that the tar particles are brought into of size of particles follows and the temperature is raised slightly. The pressure for successful operation with the gas of the quality and kind have used should be about four pounds to the square inch, but the pressure should be, regulated according to the nature andcontent of any gas being treated. 10

As the piston compresses the gas to the predetermined degree-determined by the adjustment of the sleeve 13 upon the spring 16the valve 9 is raised slightly and the gas escapes through the shallow, restricted, annular space between the packing 10 and the head flange of the cylinder 1; and this escape continues during the remainder of the in-stroke of the piston 2. The action of this escape of the gas through this annular, narrow slit causes further combination or agglomeration of the tar particles; and as the gas, thus somewhat heated, escapes into the chamber 15, a cooling or refrigeration of the gas due to expansion takes place as it leaves this annular slit and the tar particles precipitate or settle into the chamber 18. The cleaned gas passes up through the pipe 17 and the tar flows from the chamber 18 through the pipe 20 to the tar container 21.

While the apparatus shown and described.

is noveland best adapted to carrying out my I process of any apparatus-known to me, it is to be understood that my process may be carried out by other apparatus.

Having thus described my invention and discovery,I claim:

1. The process of cleaning gas which consists in expanding the gas to be cleaned to cause aprecipitation of easily condensable materials, compressing the gas, expanding the compressed gas through an opening of such dimensions as topause agglomeration of the tar particles, permitting the tar particles to settle from the gas, and conducting away the cleaned gas. v

2. An apparatus for cleaning gas containing liquid or solid matter comprising the combination of meansfor expanding the gas to be cleaned and subsequently compressing the same, means permitting expansion of the compressed gas through a slit like orificeof such dimensions asto ca use agglomeration of the tar'particles, an expansion chamber for receiving thegas permitting settling of precipitated matter, and means for convey ing away the cleaned gas.

3. An apparatus for cleaning gas containing tar comprising the combination of a cylinder, a piston therefor, a duct at one end determined pressure, an expansion chamberv for receiving the expanding gas, a tar-receiving chamber below said slit, and an upwardly extending duct conducting the cleaned gas in a direction away from the tar-receiving chamber.

4. An apparatus for cleaning gas containing impurities condensable at ordinary tem-.

peratures, comprising the combination of a cylinder, a piston reciprocating therein, means for expanding the gas to be cleaned into said cylinder when a partial'vacuum has been produced therein, a valve for causing the gas to be discharged through a restricted slit-like orifice when compressed-to a predetermined degree, a settling chamber for collecting precipitated non-gaseous matter, and a conduit for conveying away the cleaned gas.

5, An apparatus for cleaning gas comprising a cylinder having a head movable to open a narrow orifice, a piston reciprocating therein, ports for admitting gas uncovered by said piston near the limit ofits outward stroke after producing a partial vacuum in said cylinder, a regulatable pressure device acting-to hold closed the head of said cylinder until the pressure'of gas reaches a predetermined value, an expansion chamber 1 cleaned to said container, an. expansion,

chamber for receiving gas from the container, means for conveying'gas into the expansion 'chamber through a narrow slit of such dimensions that the tar particles in the gas will be agglomerated, a conduit for conveying away the cleaned gas, and means for collecting and conveying away precipitated tarry material.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention I have hereunto set my. handin the presence of two witnesses.

I WALTER CLINT DAYTON. Witnesses:

SHELDON-THOMPSON, Jr., E. R. NUGENT. 

